News about the Summer and Winter Games

Slovakia forward Lubos Bartecko suffers head injury

February 23, 2010 | 10:02
pm

Courtesy of Chicago Tribune colleague Chris Kuc:

Slovakia forward Lubos Bartecko was taken off the ice on a stretcher after a flagrant elbow by Norway's Ole Kristian Tollefsen during the first period of a men's hockey qualification game Tuesday night at Canada Hockey Place.

Bartecko was skating with the puck at center ice when Tollefsen elbowed him in the head and the Slovak hit his head on the ice 6 minutes, 1 second into the game. Bartecko lay motionless while a pool of blood formed under him before being taken off the ice.

Tollefsen was given a match penalty and a five-minute major for checking to the head or neck area, during which Michal Handzus and Marian Gaborik scored to give Slovakia to a 2-0 lead.